Year In Review 2012

It is time to review 2012, the shortest year in the history of mankind.  This review will be a joint effort as Julie and I have leaned on each other to pull memories from our foggy minds.  As you’ll see from the monthly summaries, our year mainly consisted of adjusting to the addition of Graham (and we wouldn't change a minute).

Before we get started, allow me to make two points.

First, I love Graham McIntyre Baggett.  All the cliches about parenting rang true for me this year.  From “I never knew I could love something so much” to “what did I do with all my time before kids?” 

Secondly, I would like acknowledge that all my doubters were correct: I did not play as much golf in 2012 as I did pre-Graham.  I got very close though, and I even managed shoot my personal best in July.  I began the year playing fairly frequently and peaked in the summer.  It seemed as Graham got older and reached new milestones, the less golf I played.  That seems about right, I guess.

January

You have to remember that Graham was born on December 28^th, so Julie and I have no recollection of the New Year celebration.  We were EXTREMELY fortunate to have Julie’s mother stay with us after coming home from the hospital.  Actually, one of my few memories from those first few days of Graham is watching Auburn’s dominant win over Virginia in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl with my mother-in-law.  Oh, and her great cooking!!

January was a month full of firsts with Graham and provided lots of learning opportunities for us.  Graham’s first real bath went well and was a good indicator of his future baths.  He really never has fussed in the bathtub. 

Graham got to meet his buddy Brooks for the first time in January too.  Brooks was born six days before Graham and is the son of our best friends.  They’re first-time parents too, and it has been very helpful to be able to compare notes.

February

Graham took his first trip to Auburn to see his grandparents and Julie helped host her cousin’s baby shower while there.

The Wilders paid us a visit in February and Margie Grace and Will got to meet Graham for the first time. 

March

Graham made his first trip to the Black Belt Region and visited his grandparents in Camden.  I got to play a round of golf on my ‘home course’ and was shocked to see how much the course had depreciated since my high school days.

April

I began my Celebrity Retweet campaign at the end of March but it really picked up steam in April. That is, until I bailed on the project.  Maybe I can get it going again this year?

Graham got his first Easter basket in April and Brooks came over to watch the final round of the Masters.  This will be an annual tradition, henceforth.  Side note: Graham’s Aunt Ellen gave him a pair of soft blankets that feature a little lions head. He LOVES these blankets.  We named the little lions “Bubba” and “Watson” after this years winner of the Masters Tournament.

May

Graham’s grandparents, aunts, uncles (and two great-aunts) came to his baptism in May.  

Graham also helped his Granddaddy kick off his mayoral campaign in Camden towards the end of May before we spent part of the Memorial Day weekend in Auburn.

June

The Baggetts did not travel in June.  The only highlight from June was my annual trip to Farm Links, where we played three rounds of golf in one day.  I carded my personal best score during the first round.

Julie and I went to a fun baby shower for the Davis’ at  Superior Grill here in Birmingham. It was great catching up with Bethany and Logan!

July

Graham took another trip to Camden in July and he also started eating baby food.  He wasn’t sure what to make of it at first, but it didn't take long for the boy to become a pro!  These days, Graham gets mad at you if you don’t feed him fast enough!

August

Graham took his first airplane ride in August when we flew to St. Louis to visit the Talbotts.  It was a fun and much-needed trip, and I crossed another state off my list in my quest to play in all 50 states.

September

Time for some relaxation! Thanks to Julie’s super-generous coworker, we were given an opportunity to spend a few days in a wonderful home on Logan Martin Lake in Pell City.  Graham worked on his newly-discovered crawling skills, and Julie and I watched seasons 1 and 2 of Downton Abby.

We capped off this great week by visiting Julie’s parents in Auburn.

 

October

Julie and Graham hit the road in October and visited Bethany and Emmelyn in Meridian.  Even though it was only for a day, I missed them immensely! 

We all went down to Camden with the partial hope that watching an Auburn game in a different location may produce a win.  It did not. 

Graham and Brooks got to watch their first Auburn football game together in October.  It was a particularly bad loss to Texas A&M. But they had fun anyway!

Graham was the cutest scarecrow for Halloween and enjoyed having his Aunt Sarah Harper over to help give out candy.

November

This month can be summed up with a cough and a sniffle.  We all experience some sort of illness, and it was on November 1st when Graham first started showing the signs of an ear infection.

Since this was an “even” year, that meant we spent Thanksgiving in Camden – and we did!

December

We've continued to pass germs around in our little family this month.  After three rounds of 10-day antibiotics for his ear infections, Graham finally got tubes placed in his ears on December 20^th.  I’m proud to say that we've kept the kid healthy for the most part during his first year with us. 

“Camden Christmas” was on December 16^th and we got to spend more time with Sheppard, the newest Wilder cousin.

We spent a few days with our Auburn family for Christmas before hosting family members at our house for a low-key birthday celebration for Graham this past weekend.

WHEW! It’s been a fast year. Julie said it best when she wisely stated, “the days are long but the weeks are short.”  Julie has worked so hard caring for Graham this year while still going out of her way to make me happy.  If it wasn't for her, this year would have been much more difficult.

Thanks to everyone for your gifts and well-wishes this year.  And thank you for keeping up with us.  We hope that you have a Merry Christmas and that your New Year is full of happiness!